Staff Correspondent

Local Government, Rural Development (LGRD) and Cooperatives Minister Mohammad Tajul Islam on Monday urged people to supplement the efforts of the government to contain the alarming rise of dengue disease.

"Lack of awareness among the people is one of the main reasons behind the sharp spike of dengue cases.... people's participation is urgently needed to rein in the dengue menace," he told the inter-ministerial meeting in the conference of Local Government Division (LGD) here, an official release said.

Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Mayor Md Atiqul Islam, Chattogram City Corporation Mayor Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, Secretary of Local Government Division Mohammad Mejbah Uddin Chowdhury, Secretary of Housing and Public Works Kazi Wachi Uddin and senior officials of different organizations, among others, were present at the meeting.

The minister said, "We have to engage the people in government efforts to destroy breeding grounds of Aedes mosquito to tackle the ongoing outbreak of dengue cases."

Tajul said dengue infected cases in Bangladesh are still far below compared to many Asian countries including - Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and India.

Referring to the current data of dengue cases in these countries, he said relevant ministries and their organizations are working together to protect the people of the country from the mosquito-borne illness.

At a discussion held recently, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said the government has increased healthcare facilities for dengue patients as the mosquito-borne disease is increasing sharply in the country.

"We have taken prompt steps to provide healthcare services to the dengue patients," he added.

The minister said the government has set up medical units dedicated to
dengue patients at different hospitals in Dhaka city including Dhaka North City Corporation Hospital, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) and Lalkuthi Hospital.

"We are launching awareness campaign aiming to destroy potential
breeding sources of dengue. I am urging people to keep clean both inside
and outside of their houses for stopping the breeding of Aedes mosquitoes," Maleque added.

The DGHS sources said Mirpur, Uttara, Mugda, Jatrabari, Dhanmondi and
Mohammadpur in Dhaka city have been identified as dengue hotspots. It said the highest number of cases has been detected in Cox's Bazar after Dhaka.

In Bangladesh, Two dengue patients died while 1,020 patients were admitted to different hospitals across the country during the past 24 hours (till 8am today),
a press release of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said.

"A total of 136 people died from dengue disease between January 1 and
October 30, this year," it added.

With the new cases, the total number of dengue patients this year roseto 37,151 while some 33,3 85patients were released from the hospitals.